Tetra Pak, a global leader in food processing and packaging, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) to promote innovation in India’s food processing industry.͏͏ The͏͏ agreement,͏͏ signed͏͏ at͏͏ World͏͏ Food͏͏ India͏͏ 2024͏͏ at͏͏ Bharat͏͏ Mandapam͏͏ in͏͏ New͏͏ Delhi,͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ advance͏͏ research,͏͏ encourage͏͏ innovation,͏͏ and͏͏ enhance͏͏ skill͏͏ development͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ sector.
Supporting͏͏ Sustainable͏͏ Growth:
Aligned͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ Ministry͏͏ of͏͏ Food͏͏ Processing͏͏ Industries’͏͏ (MoFPI)͏͏ vision͏͏ to͏͏ enhance͏͏ value͏͏ addition,͏͏ reduce͏͏ waste,͏͏ and͏͏ promote͏͏ sustainable͏͏ growth͏͏ and͏͏ modernization,͏͏ the͏͏ partnership͏͏ is͏͏ set͏͏ to͏͏ create͏͏ impactful͏͏ solutions͏͏ that͏͏ will͏͏ benefit͏͏ the͏͏ Indian͏͏ food͏͏ industry͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ whole.
Cassio͏͏ Simões,͏͏ managing͏͏ director͏͏ of͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak͏͏ South͏͏ Asia,͏͏ highlighted͏͏ the͏͏ importance͏͏ of͏͏ this͏͏ partnership,͏͏ stating,͏͏ “At͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak,͏͏ we͏͏ are͏͏ dedicated͏͏ to͏͏ driving͏͏ innovation͏͏ and͏͏ creating͏͏ a͏͏ sustainable͏͏ future͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ food͏͏ processing͏͏ industry.͏͏ India’s͏͏ food͏͏ processing͏͏ sector͏͏ presents͏͏ vast͏͏ and͏͏ diverse͏͏ opportunities,͏͏ with͏͏ each͏͏ sub-sector͏͏ offering͏͏ unique͏͏ growth͏͏ potential.͏͏ Our͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ NIFTEM-K͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ crucial͏͏ step͏͏ in͏͏ nurturing͏͏ talent͏͏ and͏͏ promoting͏͏ research͏͏ to͏͏ address͏͏ the͏͏ evolving͏͏ challenges.”
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Food͏͏ and͏͏ Beverage͏͏ industry͏͏ shifts͏͏ away͏͏ from͏͏ plastic͏͏ packaging:͏͏ Tetra Pak study͏͏ reveals͏͏ growing͏͏ commitment͏͏ to͏͏ sustainability
“Through͏͏ this͏͏ partnership,͏͏ we͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ combine͏͏ the͏͏ strengths͏͏ of͏͏ academia͏͏ and͏͏ industry͏͏ to͏͏ create͏͏ solutions͏͏ that͏͏ improve͏͏ food͏͏ safety͏͏ and͏͏ quality,͏͏ while͏͏ also͏͏ supporting͏͏ the͏͏ growth͏͏ and͏͏ evolution͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ entire͏͏ ecosystem,”͏͏ he͏͏ added.
Dr.͏͏ Harinder͏͏ Singh͏͏ Oberoi,͏͏ director͏͏ and͏͏ head͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ Department͏͏ at͏͏ NIFTEM-K,͏͏ stated,͏͏ “As͏͏ the͏͏ global͏͏ food͏͏ industry͏͏ evolves͏͏ towards͏͏ a͏͏ future͏͏ prioritising͏͏ food͏͏ security,͏͏ sustainability,͏͏ and͏͏ innovation,͏͏ building͏͏ strong͏͏ partnerships͏͏ across͏͏ the͏͏ industry͏͏ is͏͏ essential.͏͏ World͏͏ Food͏͏ India͏͏ 2024͏͏ offers͏͏ a͏͏ unique͏͏ platform͏͏ for͏͏ thought͏͏ leaders͏͏ and͏͏ innovators͏͏ to͏͏ address͏͏ the͏͏ challenges͏͏ facing͏͏ the͏͏ global͏͏ food͏͏ landscape.͏͏ At͏͏ NIFTEM-K,͏͏ we͏͏ recognise͏͏ the͏͏ power͏͏ of͏͏ collaboration,͏͏ and͏͏ our͏͏ recent͏͏ MoU͏͏ with͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak͏͏ reflects͏͏ this͏͏ commitment.͏͏ By͏͏ leveraging͏͏ our͏͏ combined͏͏ expertise,͏͏ we͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ advance͏͏ research͏͏ and͏͏ development,͏͏ foster͏͏ entrepreneurship,͏͏ and͏͏ strengthen͏͏ the͏͏ food͏͏ processing͏͏ ecosystem͏͏ in͏͏ India͏͏ and͏͏ beyond.”
Key͏͏ Areas͏͏ of͏͏ Focus͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ MoU:
The͏͏ MoU͏͏ focuses͏͏ on͏͏ several͏͏ key͏͏ areas.͏͏ It͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ collaborate͏͏ on͏͏ joint͏͏ projects͏͏ for͏͏ industrial͏͏ and͏͏ government-funded͏͏ initiatives,͏͏ ensuring͏͏ that͏͏ outcomes͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ publications,͏͏ patents,͏͏ and͏͏ technology͏͏ transfers͏͏ are͏͏ co-owned͏͏ by͏͏ both͏͏ organizations.͏͏ A͏͏ dedicated͏͏ Centre͏͏ of͏͏ Excellence͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ established͏͏ at͏͏ NIFTEM-K,͏͏ supported͏͏ by͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak,͏͏ to͏͏ lead͏͏ collaborative͏͏ research͏͏ and͏͏ development͏͏ activities.͏͏ Additionally,͏͏ the͏͏ partnership͏͏ will͏͏ conduct͏͏ joint͏͏ workshops,͏͏ training͏͏ sessions,͏͏ and͏͏ seminars͏͏ to͏͏ enhance͏͏ knowledge͏͏ and͏͏ skills͏͏ in͏͏ food͏͏ science,͏͏ technology,͏͏ and͏͏ business͏͏ management.
Furthermore,͏͏ the͏͏ MoU͏͏ will͏͏ facilitate͏͏ internships͏͏ and͏͏ placements͏͏ for͏͏ students,͏͏ providing͏͏ valuable͏͏ industry͏͏ experience͏͏ to͏͏ support͏͏ successful͏͏ careers͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ food͏͏ sector.͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak͏͏ will͏͏ also͏͏ fund͏͏ postgraduate͏͏ fellowships͏͏ for͏͏ PhD͏͏ scholars͏͏ over͏͏ three͏͏ years͏͏ to͏͏ assist͏͏ with͏͏ research,͏͏ including͏͏ fellowships,͏͏ contingency,͏͏ and͏͏ travel͏͏ grants.
The͏͏ collaboration͏͏ between͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak͏͏ India͏͏ and͏͏ NIFTEM͏͏ is͏͏ poised͏͏ to͏͏ deliver͏͏ significant͏͏ benefits͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ food͏͏ processing͏͏ and͏͏ packaging͏͏ industry.͏͏ By͏͏ leveraging͏͏ their͏͏ combined͏͏ expertise,͏͏ the͏͏ two͏͏ organizations͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ foster͏͏ innovation͏͏ through͏͏ joint͏͏ research͏͏ and͏͏ development͏͏ projects,͏͏ resulting͏͏ in͏͏ new͏͏ technologies͏͏ and͏͏ solutions͏͏ that͏͏ will͏͏ greatly͏͏ improve͏͏ food͏͏ processing͏͏ and͏͏ packaging͏͏ methods.
Research͏͏ on͏͏ Food͏͏ Loss͏͏ and͏͏ Waste:
Tetra͏͏ Pak͏͏ and͏͏ NIFTEM-K͏͏ are͏͏ collaborating͏͏ on͏͏ an͏͏ important͏͏ study͏͏ addressing͏͏ food͏͏ loss͏͏ and͏͏ waste͏͏ (FLW)͏͏ in͏͏ India,͏͏ focusing͏͏ specifically͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ dairy͏͏ and͏͏ fruit͏͏ value͏͏ chains.͏͏ The͏͏ study͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ identify͏͏ FLW͏͏ hotspots,͏͏ evaluate͏͏ environmental͏͏ impacts,͏͏ and͏͏ provide͏͏ data-driven͏͏ insights͏͏ to͏͏ inform͏͏ policy͏͏ development.͏͏ Through͏͏ tailored͏͏ research,͏͏ the͏͏ goal͏͏ is͏͏ to͏͏ measure͏͏ the͏͏ environmental͏͏ impact͏͏ of͏͏ losses,͏͏ including͏͏ greenhouse͏͏ gas͏͏ (GHG)͏͏ emissions,͏͏ at͏͏ various͏͏ stages͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ dairy͏͏ and͏͏ fruit͏͏ value͏͏ chains͏͏ across͏͏ India.͏͏
The͏͏ study͏͏ will͏͏ pinpoint͏͏ specific͏͏ hotspots͏͏ where͏͏ these͏͏ losses͏͏ are͏͏ most͏͏ significant͏͏ and͏͏ identify͏͏ necessary͏͏ interventions͏͏ to͏͏ mitigate͏͏ food͏͏ loss͏͏ in͏͏ those͏͏ areas.͏͏ Additionally,͏͏ loss͏͏ rate͏͏ data͏͏ for͏͏ milk͏͏ production͏͏ and͏͏ post-harvest͏͏ stages͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ analysed͏͏ based͏͏ on͏͏ national͏͏ studies.͏͏ Finally,͏͏ GHG͏͏ emissions͏͏ estimates͏͏ from͏͏ loss͏͏ data͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ years͏͏ 2015,͏͏ 2022,͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ current͏͏ study͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ compared͏͏ and͏͏ analysed.
This͏͏ collaboration͏͏ highlights͏͏ Tetra͏͏ Pak’s͏͏ dedication͏͏ to͏͏ sustainability͏͏ and͏͏ its͏͏ focus͏͏ on͏͏ creating͏͏ solutions͏͏ that͏͏ address͏͏ India’s͏͏ specific͏͏ challenges.
